Seizures of counterfeit and pirated goods last week include luxury goods in Singapore and the UK... Seizures of pirated CDs and DVDs took place in Australia, Spain the Philippines and the US... More counterfeit toothpaste containing a toxic ingredient has been discovered throughout Europe, and an Italian man has reportedly been hospitalised after reacting badly to the spurious product.

Cases last week include J.K. Rowling, creator of Harry Potter, suing the online auction platform eBay, charging that scam artists used the Indian version of the website to sell unauthorized versions of her books…An American man has been awarded $70,000 in a settlement after damaging his eyes while trying on a pair of counterfeit sunglasses…Another American has been sentenced to three and a half years in prison for conspiring to distribute millions of copies of counterfeit motion pictures… The former head of China's State Food and Drug Administration, Zheng Xiaoyu, mentioned in previous weekly digests, has been executed for corruption which led to a number of pharmaceutical scandals across the country.

Policy developments last week include the Kenyan government introducing tough new measures against counterfeit and substandard goods. The legislation will create an institutional framework to handle all matters relating to the war on counterfeiting in the country…In the US last week congress voted to give more money and authority to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to guarantee that prescription drugs that make it to the U.S. market are safe, after the recent scares involving Chinese-made fake medications.

Studies and reports out last week include figures showing that Chinese authorities have seized 4.12 billion counterfeit brand cigarettes in the first half of 2007.